


The King is Dead, Long Live the King

by allman08



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Romance, might change the rating later, moonco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:56:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23474290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allman08/pseuds/allman08
Summary: River has died, and Star blames Marco. So, she fires him as her squire. But Moon is having none of this, and decides to hire him as her personal squire.
Relationships: Moon Butterfly/Marco Diaz
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to my Moonco fic! I've been planning this one for a few months now, and since I'm back in the saddle, i can finally get to work on it! I hope you enjoy!

It was a dark time in Mewni. Seems like anywhere you went in the kingdom there wasn’t a single smile to be seen. Even the sky is dark and dreary as light rained came down. But what could have caused all of this? What made everyone in the Butterfly Kingdom so downcast? It’s because today is the funeral of the late King, River Johansen Butterfly.

The day it happened was still in the minds of many, with nearly everyone pointing fingers at who’s at fault. Some blamed monsters. Some blamed bad security at the castle. And others blamed the former Queen Eclipsa. But it didn’t matter who they blamed, because it won’t change anything.

As gloomy as it may be in the city, it is far worse in Butterfly Castle. The hustle and bustle that usually goes through the halls are gone. The number of guards and knights have been noticeably increased. The entry room was in disarray, with servants doing what they can to clean as much as possible.

And of course, there is how this massive event affected the royal family. Ever since the burial, earlier this day, both the queen and princess have retreated themselves in their respective bedrooms. Queen Moon made it very clear that she didn’t want anyone disturbing her. As for Princess Star, nobody had to be told not to approach her. The girl was a loose cannon, made even more dangerous with the royal magic wand. So nobody dared come any close to her. All, but one. Her best friend and loyal squire, Marco Diaz.

At this moment, Marco was sitting on the princess’s bed, doing everything he could to comfort his friend. Both of them were still in their funeral clothing. She had been bawling into her pillow since her father passed away, only stopping for the funeral service. But since they have come back, she’s been at it again.

"That's it, Star. Let it all out." As much as Marco wants to tell her that everything will be alright, he first needed to get her to calm down. The loss of River was a heavy one. For all of them.

“I just… I just can’t b-b-believe he’s gone.” She managed to say between her sobs.

“I know, Star. I know.”

“I’m… I’m n-n-n-not ready to let h-h-him g-g-go!”

“Nobody ever is, Star. Losing a loved one is one of the most painful things we can experience.”

“And It… it… It’s all your fault.”

“I- Wait, what?”

Star slowly got off of her pillow, her tear covered face was that of realization. “This… all of this… this was your fault.” Her sadness was slowly turning into anger.

Marco was confused and also hurt by what Star was saying. She couldn’t really mean that, right? This must just be her emotions getting the better of her. What happened wasn’t his fault… Right?

“Star, you can’t blame me for what happened!” Marco hoped he could reason with her. He knows she can be a bit difficult to deal with at times, as well as stubborn. He needs to be careful not to set her off even more.

“Oh, can’t I?” She jumped off the bed and looked away from him. “Tell me, Marco Diaz, can you honestly say you have no part in it? Can you tell me what you did wasn’t the cause of all this?” Her words were filled with venom, each harsher than the last.

Marco opened his mouth to refute her, but no words came out. Could he really deny what he did that day? Could he really say it didn’t play any part in what happened? Did he really cause all of this? Was… Marco to blame for River’s death? He couldn’t say anything. He stayed silent.

“No. Of course you can’t. Because no matter what you say, it will still be your fault.” Her words hit him hard. Not that she cared. In her eyes, this is justice.

Marco couldn’t stay silent any more, and he was tired of being accused of being a killer. “Star, I-”

"Get out." She cut him off.

“Star, wait! Please listen, I-” Before Marco could Finnish, he was hit with a magic blast in his right shoulder, sending him flying across the room. He crashed hard into the door, and hit the floor hard. The pain was intense, pulsing through his body.

He staggered as he tried to get back up. He was in pain, confused, but mostly hurt. Did Star… just blast him? No, that couldn’t be it. No, she wouldn’t do that. They’re best friends. Star would never… hurt him. He pushed himself up to look at Star, but what he saw made his heart sink.

Star, his bestest friend in the whole multiverse… was glaring at him with intense hatred, and aiming her glowing wand directly at him. Star… really did shoot him, didn’t she?

“I said GET OUT!!! You’re no longer my friend, and you are no longer my squire!! Get out of my room! Get out of my castle! And get out of my dimension! I never want to see you again!!” Her voice was full of pure rage, with a volume that caused the whole castle to vibrate.

Marco was scared. He can’t think of another time he saw Star was this mad at anyone. And now, it’s all being aimed at him. This was not how he planned on helping Star. He really needed to get her to calm down now.

“Star, plea-” Once more, he was cut off by a blast from the wand. This one just barely missing his head. Tears swelled in Marco’s as he looked at once more. From the look she was making, that was clearly the last warning he’s going to get. As well as being their last act of friendship.

Marco got off the floor as fast as he could and bolted out the door, slamming it shut behind him. He ran down the castle halls for a short while, before slowing down and collapsing against the stone wall. The pain in his shoulder worsened when he did, but it was nowhere near as bad as the pain he was feeling in his heart.

They didn’t just lose River, now. No. He had lost something even more valuable.

He lost his best friend.

\---

These last few days have been very hard on Queen Moon. First, there was the trial and learning the truth about her family. Then, there was the civil unrest about Eclipsa being freed. And then… River… Ever since he passed away. She has felt as if a part of her is missing. And it seems like the rest of the kingdom is feeling it as well, with morale being at an all time low.

And her troubles didn’t stop there. The Johansen Kingdom has been threatening war with them over the death of River. And now, she’s on her way to see why her daughter had been screaming so loudly, even though she made it very clear she wanted some peace and quiet now. It’s barely been an hour since her husband has been laid to rest, but it seems like life didn’t want to slow down for even a minute. She didn’t even have time to change out of her funeral clothing.

As she was nearing her daughters room, the sound of sobbing started to grab her attention. Fearing the worst for her daughter, she picked up the pace and made a slight dash down the hall. As she rounded the last corner, she saw that the origin of the sobbing was not her daughter, but that didn’t bring her any comfort. No, instead it was her daughter’s friend and squire, who was lying on the ground, slumped against the wall, clutching onto his shoulder as he sobbed there.

Without missing a beat, she ran up to him, and got down to eye level with him. “Marco? Marco, are you alright?” Seems as though he didn’t notice her up until now, as he was startled by her as soon as she called his name.

His eyes were shocked for a moment, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit. “Q-Queen Moon? What are you doing here?” He asked, doing his best to hold back his tears.

“That doesn’t matter. What does matter is are you alright?” She was concerned for the human boy. What happened to River took a big hit on him. 

She looked at him a bit closer. His face showed signs of emotional pain, and it’s not just the tears. It looked like… something was missing from him. Another glance, and she saw he was clutching tightly on his shoulder.

“Marco, your shoulder.” Her voice was filled with concern for him. While she may not have been close to him like River and Star, she didn’t want to see him hurt.

Marco’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of his shoulder. He moved it away further from the Queen, and tried to hide it from her. “I-It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” He said, hoping to keep what happened with Star from her. With all she's been through, she didn't need much more on her mind.

Moon looked at him with a bit of suspicion, reached her hand out to his shoulder. Marco let out a pained reaction as soon as her hand made contact. It was much more intense then she expected, making her retract her hand quickly.

“Marco, this is clearly not nothing. How did this happen?” Her voice was firm with him, but he remained silent. Ugh. Why do teenagers have to be so difficult to work with? How did he even get this injury? Wasn’t he with Star this whole… time…

With those words, the gears in her head started turning at record speed. Marco was with Star this whole time. And not too long ago, Star was stirring up a storm with her shouting. And now, she finds Marco severely injured not too far from Star’s room. Could Star have…? No, shouldn’t… Would she?

“Marco… Did… Star do this to you?” In all honesty, she was afraid of what the answer might be. She really doesn’t need any more problems on her hands.

Marco simply turned his face away from her, his face showing discomfort from both the pain and the question. That was not a good sign.

Moon didn’t like this. She didn’t like being kept out of the loop, especially if it might have something to do with her family. And after recent events, she will not stand for it. She decided to change to the ‘stern mom’ tactic. Her face became sterner, as she looked at him with more authoritarian eyes.

“Marco. Did Star do this to you?” Her voice was much sterner, making it very clear that she was not going to let Marco go unless he gave her an answer. Not just any answer, the truth. Marco had no other choice.

“Yes.” Was his reply.

Moon knew this was the truth, even if she didn’t want to believe it. To think her daughter would ever do such a thing. She was going to be in so much trouble.

Moon got up, and started to walk towards her daughters bedroom. But as she was passing by Marco, she felt him grab onto her, looking at her with a pleading face that showed he knew what she was about to do. “Please don’t. I don’t want to make her any more upset.”

Normally, Moon would have brushed this off and punished her daughter. But something about Marco’s face and voice made her stop. It seemed like he was scared. 

Moon weighed her options for a moment, and caved to Marco’s request. “Alright. But I’ll be dealing with her once she’s calmed down.” Her voice was softer now. Marco calmed down at the news, letting out a breath of relief.

Moon turned back to the boy. “And right now we should have your shoulder looked at. Can you stand up?” She asked, holding out a hand. Marco took it, and was pulled up. “ Yeah, I can walk. It just… kinda hurts a lot.” He said, trying to wipe away his remaining tears.

Moon felt bad for the boy. To have this happen to him must have taken a toll. “Come along, Marco. Let’s get your arm fixed.”

\---

Marco was sitting down on Queen Moons bed, having taken off his shirt and exposing the burn mark on his shoulder. Queen Moon herself was going through some of her cabinets, looking at different magical potions or items.

The Mark on his shoulder was really bad, being a deep red color, and blisters forming around it. It hurt to move around too much. His muscles were sore from being flung into a door. Under different circumstances, Marco would have mentioned how it wouldn’t have been his first time and try to talk about some of his time in Hekapoo’s dimension. 

But it wasn’t under different circumstances. And right now, he didn’t want to talk about his old adventures. He didn’t want to talk about anything. He felt hollow inside. He didn’t want to do anything.

Moon came back and sat down next to Marco, holding a small jar in her hands. “This should heal you right up. It will also take away the soreness. But it will sting, alright?” Marco simply nodded.

Moon sighed, and started applying the medicine to Marco’s wounds. Marco winced a bit when her hand touched him, but not as much as last time. The Mewman Queen didn’t like seeing the boy like this. He usually had a fighting spirit in his eyes. But now, that's completely gone.

Once Moon was done applying the ointment, it quickly penetrated into Marco’s skin, and his burns shrank away until it was completely gone. “There, see? All better now.” She said with a forced smile, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. But Marco didn’t even move an inch.

Moon dropped the smile, and put the jar aside. She just sat there next to him, both of them completely silent.

Moon didn’t like any of this. Too much was happening too fast for her. Losing her husband was painful, and now what remains of her family might be falling apart. And she’s not sure if she can handle that. But right now, she has a question she’s been wanting to ask for a while now. And she can’t hold back any longer.

“Marco… why did Star do this?” She was scared when she asked if it was Star that did it. Asking this made her feel terrified.

“Because she’s right.”

That’s not the answer she was expecting, nor is it an answer she understands. “I’m sorry, but what do you mean by ‘Because she’s right’?”

Marco took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. “She’s right about everything. She’s right for ending our friendship. She’s for firing me as her squire… And she’s right about this all being my fault.”

There… was a lot to process from that. Does Star really blame Marco for what happened? She ended their friendship? And she also fired him as her squire? Why, this is all absurd. 

“She fired you as her squire?” Might not have been the best part to start off of, but she didn’t want to go in this too hard.

“Yeah. She did.”

“I see… Well, what are you going to do now?” She asked. Being a squire was what kept him here. With that out the window, what will he be doing?

“I guess I’ll be going back to Earth… a failure.” He replied. She should have guessed that’s his next course of action.

“Marco, you are not a failure. And you don’t have to leave Mewni either.” She hoped her words would reach him.

“Well, I can’t really stay here and hide like a coward either. Besides, Star kinda banished from this dimension.”

What? Banished him? Star had no right to do that! Legally or otherwise!

“Well, consider this your unbanishing.” Moon got off the bed and knelt down in front of Marco, placing a hand under his chin. “Marco, listen to me. Star was wrong about all of that. You are not to blame for what happened that day, understand?”

“But I-”

“No buts. If I couldn’t have stopped what happened it was bound to happen regardless of what you did. It was not your fault, understand?” She was firm with her words. She wanted to make him understand that he wasn’t to blame.

Marco just nodded slightly. Well, it’s a start.

“As for friendship, well, River and I considered you to be a very good and personal friend.” There was a soft smile on her face as she was looking him in the eye and it showed no sign of lying anywhere. “ And as for squire, well, It’s Star’s loss. You are a very capable and dependable young man from what I’ve seen. It would be a shame to just let you go like that.” This got her thinking for a moment, and it must have shown on her face, as Marco looked at her puzzled. “In fact. Marco, how about you become my personal squire?” 

Marco’s eyes widened substantially as he stared at her. Become her squire? Did she just offer him the position of becoming her personal squire? Can he really just accept? “But, what about Star? Wouldn’t she-”

“She’s not going to hurt you. Not so long as you are under my care and protection.” She said. “So, Marco. What do you say?”

Once again, Tears started coming from Marco’s eyes. But unlike last time, these were not tears of pain or sadness. These were tears of joy.

Marco startled the Queen by jumping off the bed, and wrapping his arms around her in embrace, tears still flowing down his face. Moon smiled at the boy's antics, and returned the embrace.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

-End of Chapter


	2. Chapter 2

Another day came to Mewni as the sun rose behind grey clouds. Same as yesterday, the kingdom is just as gloomy. Some of the citizens found it hard getting out of bad because of it. Marco found it hard, because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go through with this day. But, he couldn’t be late on his first day.

He still couldn’t believe what happened yesterday. Star attacking him, and breaking their friendship. And after that, Queen Moon offered him the position of being her personal squire. He was very surprised by that. He was even more surprised by himself when he accepted.

Marco managed to force himself out of bed and got ready for the day. Another reason he didn’t want to go out is because he’s afraid of what might happen if he ran into Star. She’s probably still angry at him, so he kept an eye for her.

Marco walked into the dining room, and looked around for a moment. He spotted Moon sitting down at her seat, slowly eating her meal. Thankfully, Star wasn’t there. He walked in, and got to his seat. “Good morning, Queen Moon.” He greeted the monarch.

The Queen looked up from her plate and greeted Marco. “Good morning, Marco. I will admit, I half expected you not to show up. No offense. And you’re right on time.”

Marco looked at his plate, and picked at his food for a bit. “None taken. I’m sorta surprised by myself. And I try to be punctual, unless I can’t help it.” Marco was still nervous, even with the Queen here. “Um, have you… seen Star, yet?”

Moon sighed. She expected Marco to still be afraid. Hopefully, what is about to say will bring him some comfort. “I went to speak with her this morning, but it seems she has decided to stay locked in her room for a while. Probably until her emotions calm down. And don’t worry. I haven’t told her about your new job.”

Marco did indeed calm down at the news. Now, on to another matter. “Sooooo… What exactly am I supposed to do as your squire?” He asked. He was certain working for the Queen would be different than working for the princess.

“I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never had a squire before. I know that it is your duty to protect and assist the Queen in any capacity. But other than that, I’m not sure what jobs I can give you. What did you and Star usually do?” She asked. She hoped having Marco be her squire would help him. And who knows, perhaps he’ll prove to be a great help to her.

Marco thought about the adventure’s he had with Star as her squire. The memories worsened his sadness a bit, but he’s not going to let that hold him back. “Well, usually we did what we could to help bring equality to Monsters and Mewmans." He should probably not mention Star's dimension hopping. He nearly ruined his friendship with Hekapoo to keep it a secret. Just one other thing that has been going wrong, recently.

“Ah, yes. And how has that been going? She hasn’t mentioned anything since that botched party she threw at the monster temple.” She remembers giving a Star a harsh lecture when she came home, sending her to her room immediately afterwards. The next day, she came bursting into her office and telling her about Eclipsa’s daughter, Meteora. (And for some reason, she vaguely remembers a winter holiday in between. Strange.)

“Well, it hasn’t really been going great. Star is very enthusiastic about uniting Monsters and Mewmans, but her ideas on how to do it are a bit… idealistic and naive. I think she believes she can throw a few parties, shake some hands, and kiss a few babies, and that would make the decades of hate and war disappear. A wonderful sentiment and all, but not realistic.” Marco replied. He completely supports Star’s endeavor in creating peace on Mewni, but some of his memories from back on earth are proof to him that Bigotry does not go away easily.

“I see.” Moon should have expected as much from Star’s plan. And Marco is right. Suddenly changing the hate between all Mewmans and all Monsters overnight was just not realistic.

“What do you think of it, your majesty?” Marco asked.

“Pardon?”

“Sorry,I was just asking what you yourself thought of uniting Monsters and Mewmans.”

Moon hadn’t really thought about it before. She knows that Star has made it her goal, but she didn’t give it much thought. Thinking about it now, the idea does seem appealing. It would mean less wars with Monsters, which means they have to worry less about food being stolen. But the whole process may not be worth it. She may lose support from other kingdoms as well as the people. As Marco has said, changing people’s perspective does not happen overnight.

“If one can accomplish this and bring peace, then be my guest. But I’m afraid the process of making would only create more turmoil.” Was her reply.

At that moment, the royal butler, Manfred, came up beside Queen Moon. “Milady, the delegates from the Johansen Kingdom have arrived. They await your presence in the meeting room.”

Moon groaned at the news. She was hoping she would have some more time before seeing them, but life seemed to have other plans. “This early? Alright, fine. I’ll be there once I finish this.” She picked up her plate and quickly scarfed down her meal.

She got up and started to walk away, but turned back towards her new squire. “Marco, please wait for me in my office. I have some work that needs to be done.”

“Of course, your majesty.”

And with that, she left, leaving Marco to finish his breakfast.

\---

Marco was deep in thought as he was walking down the castle halls, making his way to Queen Moon’s office. Maybe accepting the Queen’s offer was a mistake. When he was Star’s squire, it was mostly fun and games. They hung out like they always did and went on crazy adventures. But with Moon, it’s probably going to be much more serious and hard work, with little to no room for goofing off. But, he already accepted, and he was not about to let the Queen down.

As he was nearing his destination, he spotted a certain Queen of Darkness staring out of one of the many windows. “Eclipsa? What are you doing here?” He asked as he approached her.

Eclipsa looked away from the window and over to Marco. “Oh, hello, Marco. I was just exploring the castle now that I can freely move around without being hunted by the guards.” She replies, a small smile on her face upon seeing the human.

“Oh? I thought with your new found freedom you’d be out there looking for your daughter to help her.” He still remembers having to tell Eclipsa his story of interactions with her daughter, Meteora and or Miss Heinous.

The former Queen’s smile fell as she looked down with a sad expression. “If only it were that easy. I may no longer be a prisoner of the Magic High Commission, but I am now a prisoner of hatred.” She sighed sadly. “Many people blame me for River’s death.”

This was not something I needed to hear. Because of what he did, Eclipsa is trapped once more. “I’m sorry.” He said, remorse in his voice.

Eclipsa looked at Marco with a confused face. “What are you being sorry for?” she asked.

“Everything that happened was my fault. You being trapped here is also my fault. I’m sorry for what I did, I shouldn’t have-” Eclipsa stopped his rambling by placing a finger over his lips.

Marco looked at Eclipsa, who had a soft smile on her face. “Marco, you have nothing to be sorry for. What you did that day, well, you stood for me, sword in hand. You protected me, taking your duty above and beyond. In fact, I don’t think I gave a proper thank you.”

Eclipsa leaned in closer to Marc, and planted a kiss on his cheek. As she pulled away, Marco blushed lightly, and touched where she kissed. Eclipsa giggled at how cute he is. “Don’t think too much about it. I’m a married woman, after all. Besides. You’re Star’s squire, not mine.”

Marco knows Eclipsa meant no harm by that comment, she was probably trying to cheer him up, but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow at the mention of Star. “Not anymore.” He said, looking down a bit.

The Queen of Darkness was perplexed by this. “What do you mean by that?”

Marco sighed and explained. “Star fired me as her squire and ended our friendship. She also blames me for what happened.”

Eclipsa was baffled at this. She remembered how Star never stopped talking about how great of a friend Marco is. She wouldn’t have ended their friendship over something that wasn’t his fault, right? “A-are you sure that's what she did?” She asked, hoping this was just a misunderstanding.

“Considering she basically blasted me out of her room with her wand, I would say yes. I’m sure.” He said, each word hurting more than the last.

This news was shocking to Eclipsa. She felt terrible for the boy. Not only does he blame himself for what happened, but so does his (former) best friend. “Marco, I’m sorry to hear that.”

Marco quickly looked back at her, and frantically tried to remove any guilt she might be feeling. “O-oh, don’t worry! It’s not all bad! In fact, Queen Moon even made me her personal squire!”

This caught her attention immediately, and her face morphed into an unreadable expression. “Moon made you her squire?”

“Um, yeah. In fact, I’m heading to her office right now.” He said, a bit puzzled by her sudden change in attitude. 

Eclipsa continued looking at her with the same expression, the gears in her head turning at this new information. After a moment, a smile appeared on her face. “Well, if that’s that’s case, I’ll let you get back to your duty. Thank you for everything, Marco. And please. Don’t blame yourself. Okay?”

“Oh, um. Yeah, okay. See you later.” 

And with that, Eclipsa went on her way. As she left, Marco decided to continue heading to Moon’s office. It wasn’t too far from where they were talking, and he soon found himself at the door.

He entered the room, not thinking it was necessary to knock. Once he was in, he saw the most terrifying sight he has ever seen. Marco has faced many great challenges in his life. He’s faced beasts of unimaginable sizes. He’s seen terrible atrocities. He’s battled against eldritch beings of indescribable powers. But this room? This room takes the cake.

This room… was unorganized. 

The large work desk in the room was fine and orderly, but all the shelves and paper work were lazily placed in their place. Scrolls laid on the ground, some unfurled and open. This was no proper workplace! How can Moon run the country in this mess?

Marco rolled up his sleeves, and said to himself, “This will be my first job as Queen Moon’s squire, and possibly my last.”

And with that, he started to get to work.

\---

Moon had a headache. That meeting did not go as planned. She knows how the people of the Johansen Kingdom can be hard headed, but they are really angry with the death of River. And their demands are very steep. And in the four hours they were in the meeting, they went nowhere. She’s not sure how she can safely get out of this situation.

She had a hand over her forehead as she entered her office, her obstructing her view. The moment she entered, she heard Marco greet her. “Oh, your majesty, you’re here. How was your meeting?”

She used muscle memory to walk over to her desk. “Dreadful. They wouldn’t listen to reason and kept threatening war with us unless we listened to their demands. And now I have a headache.”

“Wow, that sounds really bad. What are they even mad about?”

“River was a Johansen. They didn’t take the news of his death too well.”

“Oh. I see. Well… I can’t do anything about war, I can get you something for your headache.”

At this moment, Moon finally opened her eyes. “Thank you, Marco. That’s very… kind… of you…” She felt her headache disappear slightly as she looked around the room.

It was… organized.

For all her life, Moon has never seen the royal office this… clean before! Even when her mother reigned, everything was scattered everywhere. It made running the country very difficult. Did… Marco clean this up?

Marco came up beside Moon, and placed a glass of water and a pill on the desk. “Here you go. One glass of water and an aspirin. I’ve been carrying some around since I met Ponyhead.”

Moon didn’t even look at them, as she turned to Marco. “Marco, what happened to my office?”

The tone in her voice made Marco begin to panic. Did he do something wrong? Maybe he wasn’t supposed to clean her office at all? Maybe it was some sort of strange Mewman filing system? He can’t believe he messed up this quickly. “I-I-I’m, sorry didn’t think it would be a problem! I thought everything was a mess, and I just want to fix it! I’m sorry, I-”

Moon quickly got up from her seat and held Marco in a tight hug, stopping his rambling in the process.

“What in the world do you have to be sorry for? This room had been a mess for the last 400 years! Each time we tried to clean it, it just got worse! It made running the Kingdom difficult! And yet, in only a few hours, you managed to organize it completely! Thank you Marco! I’m tripping your pay!” Her voice was full of joy and ecstasy as she held Marco tightly in her arms.

Marco was caught off guard by her actions, but was very much glad he didn’t screw up. “Oh! Um, You’re welcome, Your Majesty!... I get paid?”

Queen Moon let go of the boy and looked at him with a perplexed expression. “Yes? Didn’t Star pay you for your services? Being a squire is a real job, after all.”

Marco probably should have realized this sooner. “Um, no. She did not.”

Moon groaned as she felt her headache return. “That girl has a LOT of lessons to learn. Well, looks like I owe you a couple months of pay. And a raise.” Moon sat back down and swallowed the pill Marco brought. It did work wonders. She smiled as she looked back at Marco. 

“But really, Marco. You did a wonderful job. And since everything is so nice and tidy, how about you get me the tax reports from five years ago? I’ve been meaning to get to them in a year or two.”

Marco brightened at this, knowing he can be useful to her. “Of course! I have all the tax reports over her, organized by kingdom and years. I should probably also show you how to-” Marco kept rambling on about how the documents were all filed.

Moon smiled, more than happy to hear the boy out. ‘Having him around might be better than I thought.’ She thought to herself.

\---

Marco smiled happily as he walked back to his bedroom for the evening. His first day as Queen Moon’s squire has gone much better than he expected! He actually had a good time helping her out with her paperwork. It may not be as exciting as fighting evil beings, but the fate of Mewni lies within those pieces of parchment!

What's more, Queen Moon was impressed by his work, and seemed to have been very happy working with him. Maybe accepting her offer was the right choice after all.

Marco got to his bedroom door and went in. As soon as he opened the door, he noticed something in his room that shouldn’t be here. Well, someONE in his room. Specifically, in his bed, under his bed sheets, and possibly naked if he knew her well enough.

“Hekapoo? What are you doing here?” He asked, confused as to why his old friend is here.

Indeed. Right now, lying in his bed, was none other than the forager of dimensional scissors here, Hekapoo. Under his sheets, looking at him with her usual cheeky playful smile.

“What? Can’t a girl visit an old flame? And here I thought we were good friends.” She said, her voice full of her usual playfulness.

Marco smiled softly. “It’s good to know you still see me as a friend. Especially after I lied to you.” His smile fell, and he sighed with regret. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for that, Hekapoo. I really shouldn’t have kept that secret from you.”

Hekapoo nonchalantly waved her hand dismissing what Marco said. “Don’t worry about it too much, Muscles. I’ve already forgiven you that.” She turned over to her side, and looked at him, her smile never leaving. “Now, what are you doing all the way over there? Come, and join me on the bed. I don’t bite.” Her voice was a bit more teasing and flirty now.

Marco’s smile returned as he chuckled at the statement. “Are you sure about that? Because I have a few scars that would beg to differ." He returned the playfulness with some of his own.

“Funny. Most of them came from when WERE in bed.”

Marco walked over to his bed and sat down with his back towards the deity. "In all seriousness, why are you here, Hekapoo?" He asked, having already suspected why.

“Well, I heard that Star fired you as her squire.” 

Yep. That was exactly what he thought this was about.

“So, I figured that means you’re single now.”

“Wait, what?!” Marco exclaimed, baffled by her statement.

Hekapoo started laughing at his reaction, and Marco realized she was just playing with him. Marco groaned and placed his head in his hands, waiting for her to stop laughing.

It took a while, but eventually she did calm down. When she did, she got up and sat down on her knees, behind Marco. She wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him, rubbing her cheek against his head.

"You are such a gullible cutie pie, you know that?" She said with a teasing voice.

Marco just sat there and grumbled. He should have known she was just playing with him. As much as he appreciates her as a friend, she can be a handful to be with.

“Really, though. I did come to check up on you. How are you handling things?” Her voice was softer now, with genuine concern. Hekapoo may be a trickster, but she did care about those she considers her friends. And Marco has been at the top of that list for a long time.

Marco let out a sad breath and replied. “It’s been hard, ya’know? With everything happening all at once. But, I’m managing. I’ve been through tougher situations, as you know.”

Hekapoo let out a small hum as her reply. She remembers those years they were chasing each other. It was almost nostalgic. She especially remembers those muscles. She felt her hands across his body. Not bad. But still a long way to go.

“And I also heard you worked for old Moonie now, huh? How's that going for you?” She asked.

“News travels that fast, huh?” Marco was a bit annoyed that his life was being spread about like a newspaper article, but that’s to be expected.

“Working for Queen Moon has… actually gone pretty good. It may have been just my first day, but I was actually useful to her in some regard. She even said she has more stuff for me to do tomorrow. I think… I think I’ll stay as her squire.” He didn’t notice the small smile appearing on his lips.

Hekapoo thought about what he said for a moment, before letting go of him, and getting off the bed, revealing she was still wearing her dress underneath.

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. And if you say you are, then I trust you.” She snapped her fingers, and opened a portal to her dimension.

“Oh, one more thing, before I forget.” She took a step closer to Marco, and leaned down to him. Once close enough, she placed a small peck on his lips.

Marco blushed furiously at this, causing Hekapoo to giggle at how cute he is.

“Don’t think too much about it. Besides. You’re Moon’s squire, not mine.” And with that, she stepped into the portal and left.

Marco stayed silent for a moment, before shaking his head. She’s right, he’s not going to think too much about it. Right now, he was tired, and was ready to go to bed.

Marco quickly changed into his pajamas, and got into bed, getting ready for the next day.

~end


End file.
